One reason Paul caught more fish than anyone else was that he had his flies in the water more than anyone else. "Brother," he would say, "there are no flying fish in Montana. Out here, you can't catch fish with your flies in the air."
~Norman Maclean

Monday, January 25, 2010

Those of you who know or who have fished with me know that I am a fan of TFO rods. I own a TicR and TicRx both 9' 5wts and my dad has a TicR also. Dad broke the tip off his rod a while and my neighbor Chad, broke the tip off hisrod on our last outing so I sent both rods in at the same time to save on shipping.

$25.00 a rod and 4 days later the rods are back with new tip sections. Great service and quick turn around, what more can you ask for?

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

There has been a flurry of posts on various forums and blogs about possibility of the State of Idaho shutting down Harriman State Park in a effort to cut costs. If the park is shut down under the agreement by which the land was awarded to the state, the land reverts to the Harrimans.

While I think it a pretty bone headed and shortsighted move, would the park being shut down cut access to the river?

If I understand Idaho law, no. The river is navigable and the public would still have access rights to the normal high water mark. Easy access across the meadows and along the banks could potentially be eliminated, but I do think that access from Last Chance and from the Osborne Bridge would still be legal. As the public has used the banks for the last 25 years there could also possibly be a public easement along the banks.

Monday, January 11, 2010

So for the most part the storms this season have parted around SE Idaho and left us with much below normal snow pack for this point in the season. While there is a couple of months of winter left the immediate forecast does not look too promising. Could be a dry summer.

Snow Report By Drainage for Idahohttp://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/updatesur/update-id.sno

Other western stateshttp://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/updatesur/updatesur.html

Thursday, January 7, 2010

I just read that some "bucket biologist" released some feral pigs in the Bruneau desert area of SW Idaho. Feral pigs are highly adaptive, reproduce like fleas, and are incredibly destructive to the local ecology being both a vector for disease and trashing flora. These pigs they noted were most likely transported from California. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is going to try to eradicate them through the winter hoping to impact the population before they are able to reproduce. If you are in the SW corner of the state and see any sign of the oinkers please report the information to the Idaho Department of Agriculture.

This is another case of somebody's personal selfishness like dumping lake trout in Yellowstone Lake. As the pigs can severely impact stream-side vegetation they could adversely impact trout habitat.

About Me: Jabberwock

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.